Sentenced to Death for "Insulting Islam"

"During his interrogation, Sina was told that if he signed a
confession and repented, he would be pardoned and let go," said the
source in an interview with CHRI on March 21, 2017. "Unfortunately, he
made a childish decision and accepted the charges. Then they sentenced
him to death." "Later he admitted that he signed the confession hoping
to get freed," said the source. "Apparently the authorities also got him
to confess in front of a camera as well." -- Center for Human Rights in
Iran (CHRI).

When the Islamists gain power, they immediately create their own
"judiciary system" in order to "legitimize" their implementation of
sharia law. In fact, the judiciary system is used less as a tool for
bringing people to justice, and more as a tool to suppress freedom of
speech and of the press.

To radical Islamist groups, Islam is not a religion which all are
free to pursue; it is a weapon. It is the most powerful tool that can be
wielded with manipulative skill to control entire populations.

Beneath
their fierce rule, every aspect of daily life is dictated. What is worn,
what is eaten, what you say and what you write are all scrutinized;
violations of these stringent laws are met with extreme punishments. Can
you imagine making a joke and facing death as a result? Can you imagine
the constant fear of doing the wrong thing, saying the wrong thing,
when you have seen people beaten, stoned, or killed in the street for
nothing more than a mild transgression?

Freedom of speech and press are the Islamists' top enemies. They are
targeted on a regular basis, making it difficult or impossible for the
truth to be revealed to the world. While others may take their privacy
for granted, the people living under this kind of tyranny must think
about everything they say and do. Sometimes even the bravest of souls
turn away in the face of such intimidation. Can it really be as
restrictive as described? Yes, and far worse than you can imagine.

Sina Dehghan, 21, for example, was arrested
by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) when he was 19 for
"insulting Islam". Charges were brought against him for insulting the
Prophet Muhammad on the messaging app LINE.According to the Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI):

"During his interrogation, Sina was told that if he
signed a confession and repented, he would be pardoned and let go," said
the source in an interview with CHRI on March 21, 2017. "Unfortunately,
he made a childish decision and accepted the charges. Then they
sentenced him to death." "Later he admitted that he signed the
confession hoping to get freed," said the source. "Apparently the
authorities also got him to confess in front of a camera as well."

Such a sentence may seem like madness, but in fact there is a cold
and calculated pattern to these actions.
When extremist Muslims gain
power, they immediately create their own "judiciary system" in order to
"legitimize" their implementation of sharia law. This judiciary system
is, in fact, used less as a tool for bringing people to justice, and
more as a tool to suppress freedom of speech and freedom of the press.
Once this silence is ensured, they are able to oppress the entire
society, restrain any budding opposition, imprison and torture innocent
people and sentence thousands to death.

Sina
Dehghan, 21, has been sentenced to death in Iran for "insulting Islam".
There are many people like him in Iran who are currently imprisoned,
tortured on a daily basis, or awaiting their execution for "insulting
Islam", "insulting the prophet", "insulting the Supreme Leader" -- the
examples are endless. (Image source: Center for Human Rights in Iran)

By imprisoning, torturing and hanging idealistic and rebellious young
people, the ruling politicians and the Islamist judiciary system are
using them as an example to send a message to millions of people that
they will not tolerate anyone who opposes their religious or political
view.

Radical Islamist groups have been using the same tactic in other
nations to impose fear and shock in the public. They aim at silencing
people and making them subservient. Once they have control, they will
stop at nothing to keep it.

For the Islamists, once you submit to their religion, your freedom of
speech and of the press belong to Allah. Your only job is to exercise
silence and obedience, and follow your religious leader, imam, sheikh,
or velayat-e faqih ("guardianship of the Islamic jurist").

As the Center for Human Rights in Iran pointed out:

"Security and judicial authorities promised Sina's family
that if they didn't make any noise about his case, he would have a
better chance of being freed, and that talking about it to the media
would work against him," added the source. "Unfortunately, the family
believed those words and stopped sharing information about his case and
discouraged others from sharing it as well." "Sina is not feeling well,"
continued the source. "He's depressed and cries constantly. He's being
held in a ward with drug convicts and murderers who broke his jaw a
while ago."

For the ruling Islamists, it does not matter if you have been a loyalist all your life. If you speak up or oppose them just once, you will be eliminated.

As CHRI quoted one source: "He was a 19-year-old boy at the time (of his arrest) and had never done anything wrong in his life."

One of Dehghan's co-defendants, Mohammad Nouri, was also sentenced
to death for posting anti-Islamic comments on social media. Another
co-defendant, Sahar Eliasi, was sentenced to seven years, and later the
sentence was reduced to three years.

What does the term "anti-Islamic" mean exactly in an Islamist
judiciary system? If it carries a death sentence, you might assume that
the parameters of the law would be well outlined. However, that is not
the case. For the ruling Islamists, the term "anti-Islamic" is
completely ambiguous and subjective, and can relate to anything that
opposes their view or their power. What might seem like an innocent
remark, could change a life forever.

If they are such violent and oppressive people, you might wonder how
they are ever able to gain power. They do this through manipulation,
charm and countless false promises.

Some radical Islamists, before they gain power, promise people
equality, justice, peace, and a far better life. They appeal to the
young, to the traditional, and to the hopeful. But once they seize
power, they close an iron grip around any and all freedoms, available to
their people -- in particular freedom of speech.

Once radical Islam has gained power, established its own judiciary
system, or infiltrated the legal system with its sharia law, no one is
capable of criticizing the government or the political establishment. In
a social order ruled by radical Islam, the government is Islam;
the government is the representative of Allah and the Prophet Muhammad.
Ruling politicians who decide the laws are "divine" figures supposedly
appointed by God. They are not to be questioned.

There are many people like Sina Dehghan who are currently imprisoned,
tortured on a daily basis, or awaiting their execution for "insulting
Islam", "insulting the prophet", "insulting the Supreme Leader" -- the
examples are endless. The issue is that we do not hear about these
cases.

Some media outlets refuse to report on them in order to appease
the Islamic Republic of Iran -- just further proof of how coercive their
power can be. The only way to reduce it -- and the oppression and
slaughter of so many people -- is to bring attention to the human rights
abuses conducted under the Islamic banner of religious "legitimacy "
and "authenticity".

This type of tyranny is a danger, not just for those enduring it, but for the world.

Dr. Majid Rafizadeh, political scientist and Harvard
University scholar is president of the International American Council on
the Middle East. He can be reached atDr.rafizadeh@post.harvard.edu.

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